TRACKING THE STARS OF THE FUTURE
 

Football Recruiting Report
Monday, September 21, 2015

By Sammy Batten


Pirates find a made-to-order tight end

AUBRY PAYNE

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By Sammy Batten
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From Justin Jones to Bryce Williams, East Carolina has featured a tight end-sized pass catcher in its receiving corps since the “Air Raid'' offense arrived with head coach Ruffin McNeill in 2010.

The next athlete to fill that role currently manned by Williams may be the latest addition to ECU's recruiting Class of 2016.

Aubry Payne, a 6-foot-5, 220-pounder from Locust Grove High School in Georgia, chose to join the Pirates' class on September 7 because he fits the Jones-Williams mold perfectly, according to his prep coach Clint Satterfield.

“He's that hybrid tight end who can put his hand down, split out wide as a receiver, or you can put him in the backfield,'' Satterfield said. “Plus, we run the exact same offense. East Carolina was the perfect fit for him.''

Payne had all but settled on making a verbal commitment to ECU after an unofficial visit to Greenville in late summer. With other offers from Cincinnati, Georgia State and Presbyterian already on the table, he wanted to ponder a final decision a bit longer before finally calling his main recruiter, Pirate offensive coordinator Dave Nichol, to say he was ready to commit just after Labor Day.

The decision marked just the second time in the seven-year history of Locust Grove that one of its players committed to a Football Bowl Subdivision program. Payne follows in the footsteps of linebacker Cortez McDowell, who is now a sophomore at Tennessee.

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Payne joined the Locust Grove program in its third season as a junior varsity offensive lineman.

“We played him at offensive tackle that first year because of his frame,'' Satterfield said. “We knew he was athletic. He was pretty quick, ran well and had good size. But it wasn't until he came to the varsity the next year that we recognized his ball skills.''

Even then, Payne's major contribution to Locust Grove's first winning season in history (6-5) came on defense. Playing on the defensive front, Payne collected 75 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and one quarterback sack, while making three catches for nine yards on offense.

Satterfield made Payne a more important part of his offense last season when he caught 15 passes for 209 yards and five touchdowns. Payne also contributed 21 tackles as a defensive end on a team that went 8-3.

The 2014 season marked the first season that Satterfield implemented the same “Air Raid'' offense that ECU has used under McNeill. Satterfield picked up the offense from his brother, who is also a high school coach, and received tips about running it from Nichol.

“If you put a tape in and look at the formations and everything we do, it looks just like East Carolina,'' Satterfield said. “Since we started it, Coach Nichol has been a good resource. We've called him up with questions about various things. Through that we developed a good relationship with him.

“He (Nichol) came down here during our spring practice and that's when he noticed Aubry.''

Payne's role on offense at Locust Grove has grown during this season's 3-0 start. He's accumulated nine receptions for 197 yards in those victories, including a 35-yard catch-and-run for a score in the third game.

“He's the kind of player who can create mismatches against those 5-foot-10 defensive backs,'' Satterfield said. “He's one of those guys like (Rob) Gronkowski (New England Patriots tight end), or the guy North Carolina had (Eric Ebron now with Detroit Lions).''

Payne has benefited from some NFL-type tutoring from the Locust Grove coaching staff. His position coach is former Auburn University and NFL wide receiver Karsten Bailey. “He's fortunate to have that level of coaching on a daily basis,'' Satterfield said.

The pledge from Payne is the 13th for ECU and the seventh from a player projected as an offensive player.

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11/18/2015 03:20 PM